I have been wrestling with this all day, and in conversations at Facebook, I have attained more confusion than clarity. There seems to be a pretty even split between those who have no trouble with the apparent adoption by many pagan groups of a lexicon that was once strictly Christian, and those who feel unsettled by it. I haven’t yet come across anyone who was openly hostile to the idea, but I will admit here and now that my feelings... Read more
It’s a holiday weekend. A celebration of the labor we do every day, a break from the daily grind. I considered writing a fluff piece today, maybe a bit on “blue-collar Gods” with labor music. Guthrie and Utah Phillips. Something free of the drama mercury retrograde can tease out of us so readily. It’s not to be. Every mercury retrograde is different and this one seems bent for the jugular. The idea of astrology is that the movements of the... Read more
Native people, running through the jungle naked, feathered headdresses on, and arrows nocked. That’s what most people imagine when they think of animists – they’re those indigenous, non-Westernized, potentially cannibalistic people. But that’s not quite true. Certainly, many indigenous people are animists, but not all of them, and more surprisingly, there’s a growing number of animists here in the Western, modern world. Animism is usually described as the belief that all things have a soul. That suffices, from an academic... Read more
Some of us have had the experience of helping to set up a ritual site and the gentle amusement that comes with a group of directionally challenged Pagans debating witch direction is witch. It also seems that the larger the gathering the more vocal the debate. We, well known practitioners, unsure of the directions, each slightly embarrassed. While this situation has brought me much amusement, as a directionally challenged Pagan my self, it also serves as a great metaphor for... Read more
I had initially intended to have this article finished last week, in coordination with the wonderful “Future of Paganism” series, however as so often happens, life intervened. Still, I’m posting it now –better late than never!—because I think that this is something that needs to be said clearly and without compromise for I’ve worked in too many venues wherein the well-meaning people (most all committed to ecumenicalism or interfaith work) struggled mightily with this truism: “Paganism” is a multi-faceted umbrella... Read more
Let’s face it, having religious iconography, statuary, jewelry and artwork is something most of us crave. But sometimes finding those items can be nigh impossible. For those seeking the Gods found in the Northern Tradition, it can be very hit and miss. Certain deities (Odin, Thor, Freya & Freyr) do have depictions that have been found in the archaeological record, but other major deities like Frigga we don’t have a single image of at all (well at least that I... Read more
It’s the last day of August, the last summer month. Already I can feel how much cooler it is. The Wheel is turning and autumn is making it’s presence known. Princess Diana died today, as did the Empress Theodora. Robert Mitchum was arrested for marijuana back in 1948 and Jack the Ripper murders his first victim. Sherman attacks Atlanta and Lewis & Clark head west. Caligula, Maria Montessori, Buddy Hackett, Itzhak Perlman, Richard Gere and Queen Rania were born on... Read more
{Ocha’ni Lele. Teachings of the Santeria Gods. Destiny books 2010. 269 pages. $16.95} Reviewed by Star Foster I love a good story. A good story has a mystery, a moral, a familiarity or a sense of the fantastic. A good story satisfies you down to your bones. Ocha’ni Lele’s book Teachings of the Santeria Gods is chock-full of just such stories. Today when we want to learn about the Gods we often go to books that explain the Gods to... Read more
(I should state that I am not yet an initiate of the tradition I am studying, so nothing beyond the quote is representative of my tradition.) I’ve noticed an interesting thing. There are people who identify as Wiccan who shun the term Pagan and people who embrace the label of Pagan that shy away from anything that suggests Wiccan. I used to be one of the latter but I now embrace both labels. Often once I’ve reconciled something within my... Read more
I want to thank everyone for making the Future of Paganism series such a success. I am so happy we were able to present diverse and fascinating viewpoints from a variety of perspectives. Our contributors are incredible, fascinating people and I hope they will be interested in contributing to upcoming series. Thanks to everyone who read the articles, shared them with their friends and left comments. The Pagan portal here on Patheos is able to thrive thanks to people like... Read more
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